DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) were submitted on 07/10/2023, 12/13/2023 and 09/04/2025. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 9-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP2008287888 to Takanohashi (IDS).
With respect to claim 9, Takanohashi et al. do not specifically teach a method for manufacturing a separator for an electrochemical device, comprising the steps of: coating a first coating solution comprising a hydroxyl group-containing binder polymer on at least one surface of a porous polymer substrate, followed by drying; and coating a second coating solution comprising a boron-containing compound on a top surface of the porous polymer substrate coated with the hydroxyl group-containing binder polymer, followed by drying to obtain the separator.
However, Takanohashi et al. further teach one or more coating layers on the support layer (the porous polymer substrate), with drying step after each coating layer to obtain a separator (Takanohashi et al.: Sections [0007], [0032] and [0057]-[0058]).
With respect to claim 10, Takanohashi et al. do not specifically teach the method for manufacturing the separator for the electrochemical device, wherein an amount of the hydroxyl group-containing binder in the first coating solution ranges from 5 wt % to 20 wt % based on 100 wt % of the first coating solution.
However, it would have been obvious as of the effective filing dated of the claimed invention to have an amount of the hydroxyl group-containing binder in the first coating solution ranges from 5 wt % to 20 wt % based on 100 wt % of the first coating solution, since it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980). It has been held that discovering that general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller,105 USPQ 233. Generally, differences in ranges will not support the patentability of subject matter encompassed by the prior art unless there is evidence indicating such ranges is critical. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980). In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955). In re Hoeschele, 406 F.2d 1403, 160 USPQ 809 (CCPA 1969).
With respect to claim 11, Takanohashi et al. do not specifically teach the method for manufacturing the separator for the electrochemical device, wherein an amount of the boron-containing compound in the second coating solution ranges from 5 wt % to 20 wt % based on 100 wt % of the second coating solution.
However, it would have been obvious as of the effective filing dated of the claimed invention to have an amount of the boron-containing compound in the second coating solution ranges from 5 wt % to 20 wt % based on 100 wt % of the second coating solution, since it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980). It has been held that discovering that general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller,105 USPQ 233. Generally, differences in ranges will not support the patentability of subject matter encompassed by the prior art unless there is evidence indicating such ranges is critical. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980). In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955). In re Hoeschele, 406 F.2d 1403, 160 USPQ 809 (CCPA 1969).
With respect to claim 12, Takanohashi et al. do not specifically teach. Zhang et al. teach the method for manufacturing the separator for the electrochemical device, wherein the second coating solution has a pH 8 (Zhang et al.: Section [0070]).
Claims 1-8 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP2008287888 to Takanohashi (IDS) in view of US Patent Application Publication 2018/0108913 to Zhang et al.
With respect to claims 1 and 6, Takanohashi et al. teach a separator for an electrochemical device, comprising: a support or a porous membrane of polyolefin (a porous polymer substrate); and a coating layer (a polymer layer) on at least one surface of the support (the porous polymer substrate), wherein the coating layer (the polymer layer) comprises a polymer emulsion A (a binder polymer) having a crosslinked structure (Takanohashi et al.: Sections [0007] and [0032]).
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Takanohashi et al. do not specifically teach the binder polymer.
However, Zhang et al. teach a PVA polymer (a binder polymer) with the crosslinked structure below, wherein X could be boron (Zhang et al.: Sections [0036]-[0037]).
It would have been obvious as of the effective filing dated of the claimed invention to have modified Takanohashi et al. with the teaching above from Zhang et al. with the motivation of having a means such the binder would enable longer life and higher electrode loading, primarily for anode materials that undergo high strain on lithiation/de-lithiation, but with benefits that extend to other lower strain anodes and high loading cathodes, it will strengthen the mechanical properties and enhance lithium ion transport of the electrodes.
With respect to claim 2, Takanohashi et al. do not specifically teach, but Zhang et al. teach the separator, wherein the binder polymer having the crosslinked structure comprises a crosslinked product of a boron-containing compound with a hydroxyl group-containing binder polymer (Zhang et al.: Sections [0036]-[0037]).
With respect to claim 3, Takanohashi et al. do not specifically teach, but Zhang et al. teach the separator, wherein the boron-containing compound comprises borax (Zhang et al.: Sections [0036]-[0037]).
With respect to claim 4, Takanohashi et al. do not specifically teach, but Zhang et al. teach the separator, wherein the hydroxyl group-containing binder polymer comprises poly(vinyl alcohol (Zhang et al.: Sections [0036]-[0037]).
With respect to claim 5, Takanohashi et al. teach the separator, wherein a weight ratio of the boron-containing compound to the hydroxyl group-containing binder polymer could be 1 to 1 (Takanohashi et al.: Sections [0040]).
With respect to claim 7, both Takanohashi et al. and Zhang et al. do not specifically mention the separator has a rate of decrease in thickness, in order words the separator has a rate of decrease in thickness of 0%.
With respect to claim 8, Takanohashi et al. do not specifically teach, but Zhang et al. teach an electrochemical device, comprising: a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, wherein the separator is the separator for the electrochemical device (Zhang et al.: Section [0002]).
Conclusion
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/LINGWEN R ZENG/Examiner, Art Unit 1723 4/17/2026
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